Limit Break
by KittenOfTheShadows
Summary: There's only so much a soul can take, only so much a mind can comprehend, only so much a body can bare. So what happens when Danny is pushed to his limit, and breaks it?
1. Next Contestant

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

A/N: Alright, because does not allow SongFics anymore, I shall post two versions of this. One shall be on FanFiction, the other on DeviantArt. One shall have lyrics in it (yes I'm nuts, and lovin' it! HA! … Ahem.) the other won't. The lyrical one with be on DA, the non-lyrical on FF. I shall put the link on my look-up on FF so people can go find the one with music.

I also know I'm nuts for getting a third FanFic on the go at the moment, but hey, I felt like it.

I must say now, in this, Danny isn't the usual, slightly 'happy-go-lucky-what-the-?-dammit-a-ghost!' kind of guy. And no, I'm not making him all-wrist-slash-like or anything- he'll just be more serious at times, and a bit more ((cough) much more (cough)) assertive-aggressive. And at times a bit strange. I may also tweak his look later! (cheers)

It took me a while to decide how to make Danny 'snap' so to speak, so I decided to age everyone up to, oh say sixteen/almost-sixteen, and have him and Sam dating. (cheers again) Sam's going to be a bit flirtier in some ways, but only to Danny. However, some guys are idiots. Like Dash.

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**Limit Break**

**Chapter One: Next Contestant**

"Danny? Danny!" Danny's Fenton's head jerked up upon hearing Tucker yelling at him. He and Sam were looking at their friend worriedly. Nearly sixteen-year-old Danny straightened up, moving his head fully from where it had been on his folded arms atop the lunch table. His blinked sleepily a few times.

"Hmm?"

"I asked you if you needed help with your homework about five times!" Tucker exclaimed. Danny blinked, yawning.

"Tuck, you're a god-send, I swear." He mumbled out in thanks to his dark-skinned friend.

Over the past two years, the trio had changed some, and looks did change for Tucker and Sam. Danny's clothes were pretty much the same, as if he was too tiered to care. The only difference was his shirt was completely white, and with slightly longer sleeves.

Sam had ditched the skirt, feeling like something different. She still wore her boots, but now wore black, hip-hugger jeans. She still wore the black-and-purple tank-top, but now she had purple fishnet sleeves, that had holed on the ends to loop her fingers through in a gloves-like manor. Her hair was almost the same, but now she had it all pulled back in a ponytail, showing the several ear-pierceings in each ear.

Tucker still wore his odd hat, but had gotten thin-frame glasses, so they weren't as goofy-looking. His pants were pale blue, with only a few pockets, not as many as before. He too was wearing black boots, but only the bottoms were visible. His shirt was long-sleeves, but was now an earthy tone to it, sort of matching his deep brown eyes.

The biggest thing that had happened to them was Danny and Sam started dating. It wasn't a huge thing off the bat, more a slow thing. Often they still went out, all three of them, but Danny and Sam may hold hands sometimes, a few times kisses being exchanged that with short and swift when Tucker wasn't looking. It was progressing though. However, with Sam's new look, despite her being an outcast, did draw attention. Oddly from Dash Baxter and the jocks. No doubt they were just trying to show how smooth they were. Danny could be seen –by Tucker- with his eyes flickering green a moment as such things occurred.

Danny himself seemed more and more at times, tense. And withdrawn. He talked to his two friends, but they could tell there was most likely things they weren't being told. His sister, Jazz, could tell this as well. Both of his parents, mainly his mother, would try talking to him, but he would always say he was fine. Sam and Tucker found another big tip-off was that Danny, usually who had a hard time with gym from being tiered with ghost hunting, threw himself into the classes. This, coupled with fighting ghosts that started to show up a little less, his began to become stronger. Sam sometimes wondered if ghosts started popping up less, because they were afraid of Danny.

They were outside now, and because of the good spring weather, some of the gym equipment had been moved outside. Tucker was buried in his PDA, Sam sitting on a picnic table near the exercise equipment as Danny took full advantage of the objects before them. He was standing, using one of the pulley systems to lift more weight then Sam had seen him use before. Her eyes flickered to his arms, at the muscle that seemed to have rapidly developed there. She had to admit, he did look a lot better, but in another way it was a bit, unsettling, how much he pushed himself.

"Well, well, hello Gothica." Sam sighed. Dash hadn't changed much. The jock still bothered them, and lately, Sam more so. And through this, unknown to them, Danny. Sam really wanted to tell them calling a girl Gothica wouldn't make them happy, but didn't. She turned her head to see Dash, his eyes flickering over her before back to her face. Nobody saw Danny began to work the pulleys harder.

Tucker glanced up as he heard Dash trying to convince Sam about a sweet party coming up, to go with him. That was a little new, but he knew it'd be coming. Dash seemed to have taken a liking to Sam- or just her look. He didn't know why, but the dark-skinned boy looked over at Danny. His eyes widened as he saw how much weight was being used now, and glanced at his friend's face. He was looking ahead, not at the others, face hard. His blue eyes flickered green, before going back to blue.

"Dash, you really are blind." Sam snorted, rolling her eyes. She sat so she was on the top of the picnic table, her feet where you would usually sit. "I'm with Danny. I think there was a huge thing in the school when we started going out last year."

"Fenton? Pfft…" Without warning Dash grabbed Danny's shoulder and dragged him away from what he was doing –the weights falling into place with a slight clang- and shoving him down onto the ground. "Ha! Seems like the usual weakling to me." Nobody beyond Sam and Tucker had really noticed how Danny had thrown himself into P.E classes, and the amount of time he would be practicing for ghost fighting. Danny slowly stood, dusting himself off.

"You should really stay down Fenton- thought you would've learned." Dash snorted. Sam suddenly tensed, finding Dash draping an arm over her shoulders. "You see, this is why this puny kid is not worth your time!" In this moment, he had taken his eyes off of Danny.

Big mistake.

A sudden crack rang out, and Dash stumbled back, letting go of Sam, as a hard fist connected with his jaw. He rightened himself, bringing a hand to the sore part of his jaw. He was surprised to find Danny standing there calmly, hands at his sides, fingers curled into fists. He was looking at the slightly taller jock head on, frowning.

"You are so dead for that." Dash growled, hoisting Danny up by the collar of his shirt. "Once I pound you, I think I'll take your little girlfriend off your mangled hands." Danny didn't blink, just stared coldly back at Dash, which was starting to bother him. He lifted his other hand, ready to pound it into Danny's face.

Danny had lifted one hand, catching the fist. Dash let him go, and Danny stayed standing, hand still around Dash's fist. He began to squeeze. Dash flinched at the sudden pressure. He swung the other fist, having it blocked the same way.

Without warning, Danny suddenly jumped slightly, both hands around Dash's fists still, and slammed his feet into his opponent's chest while finally letting go, so Dash went stumbling and slamming to the ground. Danny completed the motion through a back flip, landing with one hand for support as well as his feet, before standing up.

Dash got up, wincing. How did he get so much punch into his kick! Was what ran through his mind. He growled, eyes narrowing. People were starting to slowly gather around them. Danny had resumed staring blankly at Dash. Sam was standing now, unsure of what to do. She had never seen Danny like this, and it all seemed to start because Dash had pushed him too far. Suddenly Dash smirked, grabbing Sam's arm.

"You upset 'cause I touched your 'girlfriend' Fenton?" Sam's eyes widened as she saw a strangely cold look grow in Danny's eyes.

Danny moved forwards, silently, and jumped. Dash watched in shock as he somehow passed over his head, twisting around as he did so, so his elbow connected with his shoulder. Dash yelped, letting Sam go, who moved back a few steps. Tucker was beside her, making sure she wasn't hurt. Danny had now landed, but continued to drop down, one hand for support, as his foot swept out while Dash was turning, taking the taller teen's feet out from under him. Danny darted back while standing with a strange grace as Dash fell.

No mistaking it now, all eyes were staring in shock at Danny and Dash. Dash got back up, then suddenly lunged for Danny. Danny was moving to one side as this happened, so Dash's hand that had attempted to close on Danny's collar, got his sleeve instead. Not realizing this right away, Danny had kept moving to the side as Dash tried to toss the shorter one to the ground. A rip filled the air as part of Danny's shirt ripped, leaving one shoulder fully exposed and some of the fabric slumping down so part of his back and chest were visible.

Sam, despite the seriousness of the moment, bristled slightly as a few appreciative looks were cast Danny's way. Dash looked from the part of Danny's shirt he held in his hand to Danny himself. It was now visible the scar on Danny's right shoulder, that went from his left elbow to the left shoulder blade, in an almost twisting pattern, the edges jagged.

Danny was standing so he faced Dash sideways, his blue eyes locked on the blond, frowning slightly. Dash snorted, tossing the scrap of fabric aside. Alright, the twerp had a weird-looking scar. Dash lunged for him again, snarling. Danny sidestepped ever-so-slightly, so Dash missed him. It seemed to go in slow-mo a moment, as Dash turned his head slightly to look at Danny as he missed and started to fall. Danny's face was blank, eyes hooded slightly by his eyelids. A sudden flash seemed to go through them.

Danny's hands grabbed Dash's shoulder before he hit the ground. Bracing his feet and with a faint grunt, he turned on the spot to send Dash sprawling onto the hard ground. Getting back up, but with more difficulty, another lunge led to Dash hitting the picnic table, whacking his head. Dash didn't lunge again, and as he stood used the table for support, one hand on his chest where it was throbbing, glaring to Danny. Danny glared back this time, frowning again.

Moving forwards sharply, Danny was the one who grabbed Dash's collar, hauling him up so he could look at his eyes better. Dash's eyes widened in shock as the blue gaze on him flickered green for the briefest of moments.

"Touch Sam again, and next time, I won't hold back." Dash's eyes widened at the cold tone, and their words. He had been holding back! Letting him go, Danny began to walk away as Mr. Lancer pushed his way through the students.

"By Bridget Jones' Diary! Mr. Fenton! Come back here!" Danny paused one, turning his head to look back, before turning around fully. He tilted his head to one side, as if considering. Suddenly he lifted his hand, his right one, with his pointer and middle finger together and gave a sort of salute from his forehead, a small smirk showing. Somehow, Sam knew what he was about to do.

"Danny! NO!"

It was in that moment Sam realized something inside Danny had changed. It had been building for a long time, and finally, he had been pushed to his limit in anger over what Dash had attempted to pull on her. No, he hadn't gone to his limit…

He had broken it.

Danny Fenton suddenly vanished. Screams and gasps went up, as only Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley knew what happened to their best friend. Sam knew Danny had been working on invisibility in his human form, but didn't realize he had finally perfected it. She dropped to her knees, barely aware of Tucker's hand on her shoulder.

"Danny…" She whispered.

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A/N: There. For some reason, some pent-up stress is gone.


	2. Hung Up

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

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**Chapter Two: Hung Up**

Two years later, Sam sat in her senior year with Tucker. School had felt like a prison today, the outside much more inviting despite the clouds slowly gathering in a threat of rain. The two walked down the street, side-by-side, Tucker with his backpack over both shoulders, Sam carrying a brief-case style bag looped around her fingers which resting over her shoulder.

Sam sighed, wondering for the millionth time, where Danny could be. Ghosts rarely were seen now, so did that mean he was still fighting them, wherever he was? She, nor Tucker, had breathed a word of how Danny most likely went missing to his parents- using his ghost powers. No, after all of this time, they still didn't tell. Jazz confessed to them she knew, and during the first year tried all they could to find him, but failed. So during the second year, the three joined Danny's parents into sorrow.

Waving good-bye to Tucker as she headed inside, Sam locked the door behind her, knowing her parents were out on another business trip. Going upstairs, she flopped down on her bed, stomach first, facing her laptop. Booting it up, she checked her email, then closed the window while staying logged on, so any emails would be alerted to her. Sighing she started her homework, pausing a few times to glance at the photo that had been taken a little over three years ago, when they were all fifteen, right before Danny _really_ started to change- she wondered now how she had missed it.

Her parents tried to encourage her to try and move on the best she could, like others were starting to slowly do, but she just couldn't. It was like they thought he was dead. They didn't find a body did they? Frowning, Sam sat up and leaned over to pick the photo up. It had been taken by Jazz, of the trio sitting on a park bench during the summertime, all of them eating ice-cream. They hadn't seen Jazz until the flash went off, so they weren't looking at the camera, but off to one side. Sighing, Sam put the picture back. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop looking at the skies, looking down alleys, as if hopping to see Danny there.

A small ding came from her computer, and she found it to be an invite to an instant-message talk with Tucker. Opening it, she found Tucker's usual greeting in underlined type, while her own words were in bold.

Hey Sam!

**Hey Tucker.**

I was walking past the good 'ol Fenton Works and heard something explode. Sounds like Danny's parents are starting to invent things again.

**Well, they did put it off for two years…**

Sam, you sure you don't wanna hang out again tonight?

**Tuck, I've been over to your house so many times, it's like I live there.**

Alright, alright. But if you wanna come over to talk, feel free to.

**I gotta go Tucker, I think I need something to eat.**

See ya.

Sighing before logging off, Sam headed down to her kitchen and opened the fridge while staring blankly at it. She knew she should get something to eat, but wasn't really sure what. Was she even that hungry? Another sigh left her before she pulled out a few vegetables, and heading over to the blender, her intent to make a veggie drink. Clicking the lid on tightly she started the blender up before going to find a glass._  
_

A sudden noise made her spin about, to find the lid on the blender was rattling. Her eyes widened when she saw the lid's clasps had been unclipped. Diving for the blender, she managed to slam her hand over the lid before its contents went flying. Clicking it off, Sam eyed the blender's lid carefully, mainly the clasps. How'd they come off? Was the Box Ghost pulling some random prank that wasn't related to boxes for once? Shaking her head, she started the blender up again, keeping her hand on the lid this time. Once she had gotten her smoothie, she headed to the downstairs TV room, skimming over movie titles.

A thud made her look over to find one of the movies had fallen from the shelf. Setting her drink down before going over to it, she found it was an old horror movie.

"One of Danny's old favorites…" Sam smiled slightly at the thought. Turning around to pick up her drink, she found it was no longer there, but on a table on the other side of the room. "Alright, either the Box Ghost felt like stalking me, or some tiny ghost who felt like being a prankster is about."Shaking her head, she put on the movie, settling down.

Sam found she had only half-paid attention to the movie, her thoughts constantly going elsewhere. Hearing the phone ring, she set down her retrieved –and now empty- glass, thinking it was most likely Tucker calling to make sure she was alright. He did that a lot, knowing she took Danny vanishing harder then anyone else.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam!"

"I knew it was you Tucker. 'Sup?"

"Er, anything weird happen at your place lately?"

"Why?"

"Humor me."

"Well, the blender lid nearly came off after I closed it, a movie fell off a shelf, and my glass moved. So? It's probably just some tiny ghost playing tricks. It'll go away soon enough. Did for me."

"Well, it must've come to my place. 'Cause my PDA kept going to a different spot every time I turned around, my fridge door was open when I went into the kitchen and a piece of cake was missing…"

"The PDA going missing is odd, you never misplace it. But the cake? You probably ate it and forgot."

"Er, no. I think I'd remember if I ate the last piece of fudge cake…" Sam snorted slightly at this comment.

"Tucker, I think we're both going through paranoia."

"Meh… maybe you're right."

"I know I am. See ya." After hanging up, Sam made her way upstairs, yawning. Seeing how late the clock was showing, she headed up to her room.

Closing the door to her room, and turning around, Sam found someone had closed her laptop and put it on her desk, and had turned down the edge of her bed like her mother did sometimes. The lights were off, and a black candle was lit on the nightstand. Slowly going over to it, she found a small, white rose was by it. Picking up the rose, then glancing at the candle, her breath hitched in her throat when she saw a white symbol was painted on the candle. The DP symbol she had made for Danny.

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A/N: This chapter was a little slower, but I couldn't have Danny appear right in the second chapter! I needed a slightly suspense-ish part first.


	3. I Miss You

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

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**Chapter Three: I Miss You**

It had taken a while, but Sam did eventually fall asleep that night. She woke up fairly early the next morning, despite it being Saturday, shivering. She flung the sheets off of her, going over to pull her fuzzy black robe over her lavender nightgown. Going to the window, she found frost was covering it. It was November, but there had been no signs of snow! In fact, yesterday had been very warm! But here it was, frost over the corners of the window, and after she wiped away the fog in the middle of it, she found outside was covered with snow.

"Must've been a freak snowfall. It's happened before…" She flicked on the radio, to have her thoughts confirmed. It had all happened overnight suddenly, and had calmed down quickly afterwards, a few flakes drifting to the ground now and then. Milling about the house after breakfast, Sam waited until it was early as she dared to call Tucker.

"Hey Tuck, it's Sam."

"You see outside? I woke up this morning, shivering, kinda early- and I like my sleep-in time!"

"I did too! But hey, if this keeps up over the weekend, Monday may have a snow-day."

"Not a bad thought to hope for! But enough of that- throw on some warm clothes and let's head to that pond we found! It's shallow enough so even if the ice was thin, we wouldn't need to worry!" After saying good-bye to Tucker and hanging up, Sam pulled on some warm, black pants, her standard boots, as well as a slim, purple-and-black jacket. Grabbing her earmuffs and ice skates, that were green trimmed, she darted outside to go meet Tucker.

She found him at the path leading into some woods at the edge of town, near an almost overgrown –and in this case covered with snow- trail they had found a while back. Tucker was wearing his usual hat, and had similar ice skates to Sam, and had pulled a blue jacket over his own clothes. Heading off down the path, they were soon almost to their destination. The pond would only ever come up to their knees, so there was no worry of falling through. Water all over town had frozen pretty thick, so the water here would be no exception. Sam glanced up as they neared the pond, before throwing out an arm to stop Tucker.

"Someone's here… odd, I thought nobody knew about this place." Sam whispered. She and Tucker inched closer, crouching down behind a snow bank to see who was out on the ice of the fair-sized pond.

It was then Tucker realized a portable stereo, a small one, was in the snow beside the frozen bond, slow and smooth music coming from it. The skater was moving to the calm beat fairly well, Sam realized. Then, slowly, she took in the person's appearance. It was this that made her freeze.

He looked highly similar to how she remembered, but there were some differences, Sam realized, as he skated in a full circle smoothly, a calm expression on his face. Drifting towards the middle of the ice, he spun rapidly a few times, before breaking off and returned to circling the pond edge. He looked taller, for one thing, and muscle –not tons, more like a simple amount- could be seen from the way the tight fabric stretched over him.

The white hair was just a little longer, some of it falling totally around his right eye in a spiked fashion. The white boots were now about an inch below each knee before going to black, a black belt strapped around the upper area of each one. Three, close together, small white belts were on each upper arm. Two, thick white belts were looped at different angles around his waist, almost hiding the white stripe in the middle of his outfit.

Hanging down, looped through one of the belts around his waist, a silver chain that matched the silver buckles hung on his right side. Around his neck -which still had the white trim- two thin, silver chains hung to his chest where the DP symbol was missing; one chain with a small cross, the other with a round, dark gem. His eyes were bright green, almost brighter then they used to be. Even though he wore no skates, his boots seemed to work just fine.

He spun halfway, skating backwards a moment, before kicking one foot down so he leapt, spinning a few times as he did so, before neatly landing. Although he was in his ghost form, it seemed he wasn't using his powers as he skated. Sam knew this should be the moment she should dash out and tackle him and yell at him, wanting to know where he'd been, but she felt she couldn't move. Tucker was in a similar position.

Sam could see his lips moving, and realized he was mouthing the words to the music playing, without breaking his concentration. Bending his knees he picked up speed before sharply straightening, giving another leap as he did, tucking his arms up as he spun a few times before hitting the ice. He was oblivious to the fact he had an audience, for he was yet to look over to where they were watching him, crouched behind the snow bank.

The music was trailing off now, and he slid carefully to the middle of the ice like before, crossing his arms over his chest as he began to spin rapidly. He bent his head slightly, eyes shut, before easing the spin to a slow twirl, uncrossing his arms to hold them at his sides. He lifted his head, then tilted it right back and opening his eyes to watch the sky.

His spinning was almost fully stopped now, not tearing his eyes from the sky, as a few stray snowflakes drifted past him, a few landing on his shoulders and in his hair, though the white flakes didn't show up in the white strands, save for a slight sparkle.

He stopped spinning. Closing his eyes again as he rightened his head, he now pushed one foot to propel him towards the stereo, moving in a swaying fashion as he skated to it.

Stopping in front of the stereo as the music played a last few lines, he opened his eyes and reached out one hand, picking it up by the handle.

He hummed one the last line to himself, clicking the stereo off before walking onto the snow. His boots crunched in the snow, leaving faint imprints. Finally Sam was able to stand, Tucker with her. Both called out at the same time.

"DANNY!"

He turned his head slightly, a faint noise of surprise leaving him, before he turned fully, everything seeming to slow down as he did. It was now a two-on-one staring contest between the three. They stood there, Tucker and Sam with a mix of shock, fear, and hope in their eyes. His only held shock. Suddenly he vanished.

"NO!" Sam shrieked, going to move forwards. She couldn't let this happen again! Suddenly Danny was in front of her, floating from the ground, his left hand holding the stereo. His right hand was on her shoulder, eyes closed as he kissed her forehead, before he vanished, not reappearing this time.

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A/N: Man, I'm on a roll! I promise though, once I finish the next chapter for my other DP story, I'll post it. I'm just smoothing out a few kinks, and working on a few parts that're bugging me.


	4. Follow You Home

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

**Chapter Four: Follow You Home**

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Neither Tucker nor Sam felt like skating after what had happened. They made their way back to the town, walking along in numb silence. Every now and then, Sam would lift one hand to her forehead, where Danny had kissed her, or to her shoulder where his hand had rested briefly. She knew she had felt the presence of both, it had been real, not a dream, not her imagination. Finally Sam as able to break the quiet around them.

"So, h-he's was there, right? I'm not crazy?"

"Yeah…" Tucker replied meekly.

"A-and he doesn't look like he's been starving or anything…" For some reason, Sam smiled faintly, remembering what Tucker had said last night on the phone about a piece of cake going missing.

"Yeah…" Tucker replied again, agreeing with her words.

"Plus he must be staying somewhere near town… then again, he can fly pretty fast and all…" Sam felt like she couldn't end any of her sentences fully, but rather have them trail off.

"Uh-huh…" Tucker was the same way. The shock of seeing his friend like that had affected him deeply.

Sam finally stopped walking, reaching out a hand briefly to make Tucker stop, and moving said hand away when he turned around. They stared at each other a moment, before Sam cleared her throat.

"So, wh-what do we do now?" Tucker shook his head.

"I really don't know. How do you find a guy like that? Looking for the human, he'd go ghost. Looking for the ghost, he'd return to being a human."

"His ghost form is different. His human-self would be different too." Tucker nodded slightly.

"So what does this all leave us with?" Sam turned her head to look down the street where they had come from, thinking a moment, before looking back to Tucker.

"He's alive."

Tucker and Sam continued onwards, still debating over the fact of what to say to Danny's family. Finally they went their own ways, promising to wait until later to talk to Jazz, then figure out what to say about this to Danny's mother and father. Reaching home, Sam, feeling a bit paranoid, pinched herself a few dozen times to make sure she wasn't asleep. She double checked the DVD case lying near the TV, making sure it was the same movie she had watched last night, as well as checking the dishwasher to make sure the glass she had used before was there. After all this she finally sat down slowly in a chair, breathing carefully.

Standing up again, she tossed away her jacket before going to call Tucker, even though she had seen him moments before, to confirm what time they would meet to talk to Jazz. After that she went back to her chair, pondering over a sudden factor she just remembered. Valerie.

Valerie had started to become friends with the trio a while back, thought she did still fight Danny's ghost side –on account of not knowing- with the high-tech ghost-gear she had. When Danny vanished, she was sad as well, but was recovering just a little faster then the others, most likely because she wasn't _as_ close to him as they were. What if Valerie had figured out Danny and the ghost-boy were one and the same? They both did vanish at the same time. And if she hadn't yet, and Danny came back, and the ghost-boy made an appearance, would she realize then? And if she had, why hadn't she said anything?

"Maybe she finally started to get over her anger over the whole thing…" Sam mused. "Or maybe she just hasn't realized." She really wanted to believe the latter, but now that she debated the fact, she was really starting to worry.

A sudden cool breeze swept past her, making her look about wildly. Any other time, she would have shrugged it off, or gone in search of an open window, but this time, she bit her lip before almost calling out tentatively. However, Sam stopped herself, knowing Danny may run –if it was him- if he knew she realized he was there. She stood, thinking a moment. How to lure a ghost boy into showing himself? She then headed into the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out something of her father's –neither parent was an ultro-recylo-vegitarian- and moving it to the front of the fridge, pretending to be trying to find something behind it. She stood, closing the fridge door and leaving the room. She stopped there, waiting a moment, before slowly peering around the corner.

After a second the fridge door cracked open, and the cold slice of pizza drifted out. Sam had to bite back a giggle at how absurd it looked, despite the serious situation. The pizza was slowly disappearing into thin air. After a moment it was gone, and the cupboard opened, and a glass floated out before the fridge opened again, a pitcher with juice in it being lifted a moment, poured, then returned to the fridge before the door closed. As the glass tipped back and the juice slowly vanished, Sam leapt into the room, flicking the light on –though it didn't really _do_ anything, she just felt like she should- and glaring at where the glass was still floating.

"Danny! I know it's you! Either become visible or next time I'll borrow one of your dad's inventions to trap you with!" Sam shrieked out. There was a pause, where she continued to glare at the main area the glass was in mid-air, before it was tipped back and finished off. Sam lost here glare as she blinked a few times, the dishwasher being opened, glass put in, then shut again. Then he appeared, wiping the back of his mouth with one hand. His green eyes were oddly blank as he looked calmly back at her, blinking once or twice.

They stared one another down, Sam standing with her feet firmly planted, Danny floating a bit above the floor, watching her with a raised brow over his showing eye. Finally it seemed he was waiting for her to speak, so she took a deep breath.

"Danny, why? I don't even really care where you were, but I want to know, _why_." She took a step forwards, but he floated back slightly, as if unsure of letting her get too close. Biting her lip, she looked away. "I guess I should've seen it coming, how you were acting and all, I guess it was the stress finally catching up to you, but we're your friends Danny! Why didn't you talk to us!" Sam was aware tears were starting to fall. Suddenly she found a gloved hand brushing away some of them, and turned her head to find Danny standing in front of her, his glowing green eye showing sadness.

"What would have changed?" Danny's voice held a slight echo to it. It hadn't deepened over the past two years or anything, but sort of leveled out into a medium tone. "It was too late." Suddenly a bitter laugh left him. "Better I left when I did. If I stayed, I could've hurt someone." A frown suddenly graced his lips. "I was tiered of it all Sam. Of everything."

"Where have you been!" Sam yelped out, unable to keep the question back. Danny tilted his head to one side.

"Not far. I stayed in town. Notice there's no ghosts around? It gives me something to do." Sam noted he didn't mention protecting the town. "I actually hung around in your attic for a while, and Tucker's." He smirked suddenly. "I owe him some cake. Tell him that, 'kay?" Kissing her forehead again, he flickered from view. His voice echoing. "I'll come back to visit, Sam…"


	5. Lying Away From You

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

A/N: A thanks to all my reviewers!

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**Chapter Five: Lying Away From You**

"You WHAT!" That was the first thing Jazz Fenton shrieked out, before Sam clapped a hand over her mouth. Jazz was visiting her parents on a brief break from school, and she, Sam and Tucker were in the living room. Jack and Maddie were downstairs, and most likely wouldn't have heard that, but they'd rather be safe then sorry. They had been unable to convince Jazz to come to one of their houses to talk, so had met here. Sighing, Sam leaned back in her seat, moving her hand away.

"Calm down- that is why I suggested meeting at my place!" She stated with a frown. Tucker looked over at her.

"You could've told me what happened before we came- I was pretty close to yelping there myself." Sam had just spoken about what happened earlier; her little encounter with Danny.

"Well, you all know now. But that aside, we need to think about what to do. What's going on exactly, because part of this doesn't make sense." Sam pointed out. "We couldn't find a single sign of him for two years, then now we suddenly do? It's like he was so careful before, then slipped up!"

"Maybe he got careless?" Tucker mused. "Or maybe he wanted us to find him- he could be lonely."

"Then why leave again?" Jazz cut in. She looked out the window a moment, then at the other two. "So all this time, there have been no ghosts, because he's still fighting them?" Sam nodded.

"Thing is, he mentioned only doing it because it gives him something to do. He didn't bring up protecting the town. Remember that store a few months back? It was battered inside, but no break-in signs? What if Danny had gone through a scuffle there? They did say it looked like people had been fighting." Sam murmured. "It's like he doesn't really care what happens to the town itself anymore." Jazz opened her mouth to say something, when her parents came barreling out of the basement.

"We finally got a live one!" Jack was heard bellowing out before they were gone. The trio sat in the living room a moment, before leaping to their feet.

"Come on!" Sam was the first out the door, calling over her shoulder to the other two. It took a lot of running, and cutting through some back alleys, but they finally reached the spot of street where Jack and Maddie were with their hunting gear. Tilting her head back, Sam saw someone else she hadn't seen in ages- Skulker. His armor must be upgraded a lot, for the once black-and-silver gear was now all black, and the skull-like face was now an actual mask in skull-form, red eyes lit up. It was still somewhat bulky looking, but Sam had a feeling that was due to the extreme arsenal it no doubt held.

Purple blasts were being fired, and their target easily dodged. Everyone below was shocked to see the missing ghost boy was actually back. Sam and Tucker, who had seen Danny fight before, were shocked at the actual fighting going on.

Lifting both hands so they were cupped tightly together, Danny suddenly tossed them out, a bright red blast lancing forth, hitting Skulker and causing him to crash to a rooftop. This was something odd. Last Sam remembered, Danny's blasts were green…

Danny lunged down to the rooftop, feet first, so he slammed into Skulker's chest. A rocket came from the ghost-robot's shoulder, and the blast made Danny tumble back in the air, but he quickly regained his composure. When Skulker was back up, Danny spun once, his foot snapping up and making contact with Skulker's head. He then grabbed his arm, and with a snarl, tossed him towards the ground where a loud 'bang!' went up from where he hit. People scattered. Jazz and Sam glanced at one another, and at Tucker. Yup- Danny wasn't taking heed to the people below.

Floating down to the ground calmly, Danny stood with his arms folded as Skulker stood back up, hands clenched into fists. Danny shook his head slightly, sighing, before looking at his opponent with one brow raised slightly.

"No matter how many upgrades, nothing is going to help you." Danny said in a flat, bored tone. Skulker lifted one arm, a large gun formed over it. It was then, as aim was taken, Danny spotted Jack and Maddie aiming between him and Skulker, unsure of which one to hit. Danny eyed them a moment, then a sudden, cold smirk curled its way onto his face as he turned back to Skulker. The ghost-hunting ghost faltered. Lunging forwards, Danny's fist connected with Skulker's jaw.

On the sidelines, Tucker wondered when Danny began to be more physical, rather then using his ghost powers. Jack fired off a shot, which barely missed Danny, but hit Skulker's arm. Danny took this chance to grab Skulker's throat, lifting him up and slamming him into the ground. Before the eyes of all those watching, Danny's fists slammed into Skulker's armor over and over again. Metal components went flying as he began to tear the robotic-pieces apart. Skulker managed to toss Danny off of him with his one working arm, and pressed a button on his shoulder as Danny leapt back up.

"Let's see how you handle this, ghost child." Skulker's voice even sounded metallic. Danny looked about as, without warning, thousands of metallic bugs swarmed from the shadows and from the rooftops, filling the sky and ground around him. There was a pause, before they all darted for him, covering him in a huge mass. Sam was about to yell out, but stopped herself, knowing that could be risky. Suddenly, a faint sound could be heard, growing rapidly in pitch, as the ground began to shake.

Danny burst from the bug swarm, mouth open as a scream left him. Everything was shaking, and windows began to smash. His eyes were shut as everything rumbled, and some stone began to crack. The robotic bugs, from being so close, began to tear apart from the force. The wail finally stopped, and Skulker found himself lifted into the air by his throat, Danny staring him down. The green eyes flickered…

…once…

…twice…

…they turned red, as a deep breath was taken. His robotic eyes widened as he was hit with a wave of pain, the screech that left Danny hitting him full force. The grip on his neck was released and he went flying, hitting the side of a building.

Finally the noise stopped, and amidst the dust from pieces of buildings that had cracked and hit the ground, Danny stood calmly, frowning a little, watching Skulker twitch. He turned his head to look at those watching fearfully, before walking to Skulker. He crouched down, and suddenly smiled.

"I'll give you a month before I come after you. And when I do, do try to put up a better fight, hmm?" Skulker stared at the smile being directed at him, the red eyes glowing, the one covered by the snow white hair seeming to flicker. Standing suddenly, Danny snapped a hand out, grabbing Skulker's shoulder. Taking a few steps back, then flying upwards, he spun once in the air before tossing the robotic-ghost a fair distance from him. "Or, I can count to three, and come after you now. One…" Danny didn't reach two, for Skulker used the jets that were still functional on his back to blast away. Drifting back down, so he was hovering a bit above the battered pavement, Danny's eyes returned to green, that slightly deranged smile still on his face a moment, before leaving.

Turning to look around him, he moved to one side a little as a blast aimed from Maddie's weapon shot past him. As Danny looked over at his unknowing mother, Sam wondered if he was about to fly off, when he smiled faintly again- not a deranged one this time, more of calm, knowing smile. He then _waved_ at the two befuddled ghost-hunters, before finally spotting Sam, Tucker and his sister Jazz on the sidewalk. He watched them a moment, the smile still there, before he suddenly became semi-transparent. Not invisible, but intangible. Diving down as if into water, he vanished into the pavement, leaving the wreckage of the battle, and very shocked and confused people, behind.


	6. Papercut

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

**Chapter Six: Papercut**

* * *

Sam, Tucker and Jazz headed over to Sam's place to talk about the fight they had just seen occur. The moment Sam closed the door behind them, Jazz burst out into sudden sobs. Tucker patted her on the back, trying to calm her down.

"I had no idea anything like that was happening to him!" Jazz wailed out. "If only I had seen it coming, I could've, could've done _something_!" Sam bit her bottom lip.

"I feel the same way, but it's happened, and we can't go back. What we need to do is try and sort this all out _now_, and maybe get Danny back. He may not be the same as before, I doubt he'll ever be the same, but we have try and least find a small part of the old Danny in him and get him back before this goes on too much longer!"

"Thing is, how do we find him?" Tucker asked. Sam's mind replayed the conversation she had gone through with Danny. _'I actually hung around in your attic for a while, Tucker's too.' _"…And after a fight, he may need a brief moment of rest…" Sam muttered faintly. She whirled about, running for the steps. She paused, looking back to Tucker and Jazz, motioning for them to follow with one hand, one finger over her lips with the other hand. The other two looked confused, but followed none the less. As they went upstairs, Tucker glanced out the window, seeing the outside sky was dark with clouds, and as they passed another window, he saw it was starting to rain.

After reaching the top floor, Sam went to a door at the end of the hall, quietly opening it. Some stairs led upwards, another door at the top. Repeating the shushing motion, she turned and headed up them as carefully as she could. Jazz and Tucker followed suit. Jazz bit her bottom lip, realizing Sam thought Danny might be in her attic. Why would he be there? If he was trying to avoid them, why hide near them? She gave her head a little shake. Some dust from the walls around them was settling on her blue pants and black shirt, and she repressed a sneeze.

Sam slowly opened the door to the attic, squinting a little to try and see. Sometimes a few slits of light would come through the windows, filtering through the pulled down the mini-blinds, but with the darkened sky outside, there was none. Moving ahead carefully, Sam peered around some boxes, Tucker and Jazz doing the same. There sat Danny, in his ghost form, one hand over his shoulder.

"…Damn rocket, got me more then I thought…" He was heard to mutter. He took one white-gloved hand away from his shoulder to look at it, green ghost-blood smeared over it. With a sigh he closed his eyes, and two white rings washed over his body, leaving behind his human self.

His messy black hair fell into his icy-blue eyes, and even as a human, his skin looked oddly pale. He wore slightly baggy, navy jeans over black boots, and his torso was covered by a white dress-shirt, the top few buttons undone, the cuffs at the sleeves unbuttoned and folded back. A stain of red was beginning to stain the right shoulder of his shirt. He grumbled incoherently, before tensing suddenly. He turned his head ever so slightly, looking about.

"Who's there?"

Sam, Tucker and Jazz drew back behind the boxes, sitting, holding their breath. Faint footsteps were head and they seemed to walk right in front of them. However, nothing was there. Sam risked a glance around the boxes, seeing nothing. She turned her head to look at Tucker and Jazz.

"I-I think he's gone."

"No I'm not." All three yelped at the voice. Danny appeared, sitting in front of them, still in his human form. Sam wanted to smack her forehead. She had forgotten Danny could go invisible as a human. Danny smiled widely, closing his eyes briefly, before looking over at Jazz. He now looked startled, blinking. Jazz stared back, before letting out a wail and throwing her arms around her younger brother.

A few seconds after this happened Danny had phased through her grip, getting up. He was frowning slightly, as the other three scrambled to their feet. After a moment of staring, Danny sighed, shaking his head, walking around to his original spot in the attic- near an old couch.

"You shouldn't be here Jasmine." Jazz blinked in surprise when Danny used her full name. Sam noticed Danny rummage in a box behind the couch, before pulling out a small first-aid kit. Opening it, he sighed a little.

"Damn, almost out of supplies…" Jazz stepped towards her brother, brow raised.

"Danny, have you been stealing?" It was blunt and straight forwards. Danny didn't even look up.

"I do what I have to, to survive." Tucker frowned, looking oddly serious.

"Danny, you were kind of reckless- people nearly got hurt in that fight!"

"So!" Danny snapped out with a snarl. "I'm public enemy number one! Might as well act the part! And besides, nobody did get hurt! It's no big deal!" He set the first aid kit aside, unbuttoning his shirt. "And I'm gonna take of my shoulder, so feel free to go or stay, doesn't matter." He growled out. Sam, despite of herself, felt a slight blush go to her face. Danny took out a roll of bandages, and after shrugging off his shirt, began to wrap it around his shoulder with odd ease.

"Danny, how often have you done this?" Jazz asked suddenly, watching her brother. Danny shrugged his unharmed shoulder in an off-hand manor. His eyes, though averted from them, seemed to flicker slightly, as if he was struggling with something internally. Taking a small pair of scissors from the medical-kit, he snipped the gauze and put the rest away. Standing, he pulled his shirt back on.

"Now, is this going to turn into twenty questions?" Danny asked tieredly. "'Cause I _was_ going to get some rest, but if it is, I'll go somewhere else. Heck, I may have to anyway because you know I'm here."

"Danny! You have no idea how much pain mom and dad have gone through!" Jazz exclaimed. Danny had looked away in that moment, but when Jazz said this, he whipped his head around to look at her.

"Jazz, you just don't get it do you?" He bent his head, hair shadowing his eyes. Suddenly his shoulder shook a little as he began to laugh. He then tossed his head back, laughing louder, before finally quieting and looking at his older sister, smiling in a crazed manor. He stepped over to her, and Jazz realized he was barely a half-inch shorter then her. "I, don't, care."

Danny turned away, taking a few steps to Tucker. Chuckling, he slapped a hand onto his old friend's shoulder.

"Tucker, thanks for acting the concerned friend, but you can stop it now. I'm fine, I can hold my own. Get on with whatever you feel like doing with your life." He then went over to Sam, putting a hand on both of her shoulders. He looked at her a moment, and the crazed smile seemed to soften a little.

"Same for you, Sam. I'll still be around, maybe drop in for a visit or two." He leaned forwards suddenly and kissed her forehead.

"Right now, however, I have to pay an old friend a visit." Danny frowned, eyes flickering green a brief moment. He then smiled again, hugging Sam, then stepping away and striding over to the window. Sam snapped out of the slight stunned position she had been in.

"It's a full-blown storm out there by now! You can't go out there!" Danny smirked, turning into his ghost form.

"I've been in worse." He then turned his head to the window, opening the blinds with one hand. Like Sam had said, the rain was pounding down now, and the wind was howling like some enraged beast. "See ya." With a two-fingered salute, he vanished through the window, and into the storm beyond. Sam looked wildly out the window into the storm, but found she couldn't see anything. She looked over her shoulder to Tucker.

"B-by 'old friend', you don't think he meant-?" Jazz looked confused, but Tucker understood.

"I, think he did Sam, I think he did."


	7. Faint

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

**Chapter Seven: Faint**

* * *

Vlad Masters looked up when a loud clattering sound rang through his mansion, which was nearly void of life. Standing, he headed down the hall from his study, eyeing a window that had blown open from the storm outside. Frowning slightly, he closed the large window and tightly locked it, before turning around.

"Hello Vlad." Vlad gave a small start in surprise, turning his head to find Danny, in his human form which would explain why he didn't sense him, standing in the hall a bit away.

"Daniel, this is a surprise… especially sense you've been vacant for two years." Vlad smirked. "I was starting to worry." Striding forwards a bit with a confident step, Danny frowned, hands clenched at his sides.

"I'd be the one worrying about myself, if I were you." He snarled out, eyes turning green. Vlad raised one eyebrow slightly.

"It seems you've come back with quite a change." Danny suddenly left out a cold laugh.

"Oh, I changed long before now- nobody cared to notice, is all." White rings washed over his body to leave behind his ghost-self. "And I'm here on some business. I needed two years to prepare myself, and finally, I'm ready to let people know I'm back. Sam and Tucker already know. Jazz does too. Others do too, but," another slight laugh, "but only those three knew who I really was." A white flash covered Vlad, as he, too, reverted to his ghost self. The red eyes regarded Danny smugly.

"I must admit, I like the changed, Daniel." Danny was suddenly right in front of Vlad's face, eyes changing red.

"Ya know, I never had told you how much it _bugged _me when you called me that."

A sharp red blast went off, and Vlad barely managed to put a shield up in time to block it. He was pushed back slightly though, even with the shield glowing before him. Lowering it, he lifted both hands just in time to lock fists with Danny, who had lunged forwards.

"My attitude isn't all that's changed, Plasmius." Danny growled out. "My fighting's changed too." A sudden knee to the stomach sent the taller of the two –although the height difference was very slim now- stumbling back. A foot collided with the side of Vlad's head before a succession of punches charged by red energy slammed into his sides and an elbow jammed down onto his shoulder. Backing up as Vlad struggled to regain himself after the sudden onslaught, Danny smiled widely. "I've gotten more into it, in a way. The fight, the battle."

"I find, getting more physical, is more fun." Danny's hand closed around Vlad's collar, tossing him with surprising strength down the hall. Vlad got up a little quicker this time, splitting himself into four. Danny mimicked him, before suddenly splitting two extra, so six faced Vlad's four. A collision seemed to shake the mansion as the Halfa's slammed into each other, the shockwaves of the energy being put off, quickly erasing any copies so only the originals stood.

"Any idea on how long your friends will refrain from telling your parents about you?" Vlad spat. Danny shrugged casually, ignoring the bit of blood trickling down the side of his face.

"It would be easier, if they told them actually. At this point, I really don't care." Danny darted forwards, a huge orb of red energy surrounded him before bursting outwards, slamming Vlad into the wall. "I don't care if they know." Danny snarled out, throwing a punch which Vlad dodged, Danny leaving a hole in the wall where Vlad's head had once been. "I don't care, because I'm not going back."

Vlad lifted both hands, pressing the palms together before slowly drawing them apart, dark green energy forming rapidly between them before he lashed out with one hand, a whip of energy lashing along the hall and striking Danny along the chest and across the shoulder. The two necklaces around Danny's neck, miraculously, didn't break as a thin tear appeared in his clothes, green blood instantly beginning to seep out.

With a roar of anger, Danny lifted both hands before bringing them down sharply, something similar to what Vlad had done –but in red- snapping out from both hands with the accuracy of a driver's whip. Vlad avoided one, the other cutting across his shoulder, the one he had avoided being hit by physically tearing a good rip through his cape.

"I wonder," Danny hissed out as he floated above the ground, hands glowing blood red, "how long would it take, for them to find your body?" Vlad's eyes widened in shock as he realized just how far Danny was intending to take this battle. Only one of them was going to walk away, unless one of them fled. And he had the feeling, if he tried to run, Danny would follow. So it was either die, or get Danny to run, and from how things were going, the latter option was slim.

Danny moved closer, and Vlad felt oddly paralyzed as he stared at the blood red eyes. A frown across his face as his hands slowly stopped glowing, and he continued to glare down at Plasmius. There was a moment of this, as if Danny was debating something. Finally he lowered so he stood on the floor, Vlad still struggling to stay standing. Danny suddenly smiled slightly.

"I'm not a villain," he said in a soft, mocking tone, "I just wanted to be loved."

The next thing he said wasn't even words, but a solid screen of a ghostly wail seeming to be filled with waves of red.


	8. Nobody's Listening

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

A/N: Man, this one came up fast compared to other chapters! Music makes good inspiration. I recommend listening to some while writing.

There's just one more chapter left to go after this one! And this one finally -briefly- explains where Danny was for the past two years!

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Nobody's Listening**

Sam sat in her room, staring at the ceiling. She had been pacing earlier, then tried talking to Tucker and Jazz, only to storm off from pent-up frustration. She had a sinking feeling of where Danny had gone, but there wasn't a lot she could do about it at the time. Sitting up, she stared at the photo on her bedside table a moment, trying to sort out her thoughts. Picking up said item now, the gears in her head began to slowly turn. Standing, clutching the picture, she headed downstairs and outside, down the sidewalk and right to the Fenton's home. After knocking, Jazz opened the door.

"Sam?" She asked, puzzled.

"Jazz, can I go into the basement?" Jazz stared a moment when the question was asked. "Alone?" The older girl stared a moment longer at the odd sight of Sam, standing on her step, a picture of some sort clutched to her chest. Nodding a little she finally stepped aside to let her in. Watching Sam go into the kitchen and downstairs, Jazz wondered how long her parents would be in the supposedly haunted building downtown.

Sam stood in the lab basement, staring at the closed gates of the Ghost Portal. Stepping up to it, she then glanced at the DNA lock. She glanced about, spotting a glove someone had left down here. Picking it up, she turned it inside out, pressing one of the fingers over the lock. Opening with a hissing sound, the doors slid back to reveal the Ghost Zone.

Sam now turned to the Specter Speeder, climbing in and setting the picture next to her and starting the Speeder up. She knew by the time Jazz came downstairs she'd be in the Ghost Zone. Pulling up a file with a password on it, Sam knew it was the one Tucker had installed –hidden from Jack or Maddie- of the map they had made long ago of the Ghost Zone. She quickly typed in the password. Following the map carefully as she entered the swirling green beyond, Sam's purple eyes blazed with determination. She was the one now looking for 'an old friend', and wasn't leaving until she found him.

Eventually Sam did find the strange palace that seemed to be compiled of various clock towers. Pulling the Specter Speeder to a stop, Sam stepped out carefully onto the edge of the building's steps, heading inside, the picture once more tightly clutched in her hands. Leaning one shoulder to one of the double doors, it swung open to reveal the strange glowing chamber beyond, with dozens upon dozens of clocks in it, as well as several, mirror-like portals. Walking a little ways in, Sam looked about her carefully, wondering if she would have to call out.

Stopping at one of the mirrors, Sam watched with wide eyes. It was showing that day Danny vanished. Then it jumped to a few months later, showing Danny flying through the woods, harshly blasting at the ghost fleeing him. The next image was another month's jump, and she could see the slight changes in Danny's appearance. He was sitting on a cliff in his human form, resting his chin in one hand, looking out at the world with a frown. His eyes then narrowed, eyes suddenly turning from blue, to green, to red.

The next image was when it had hit the one-year mark, and Danny was in his ghost form, only a few belts on his arms, none around his waist or on his leg yet. The necklaces hung from his neck, clinking slightly as he drifted above the town, before diving down into Sam's attic. Sitting down on the couch, he set down the first-aid kit, breaking the seal on it- meaning it was new. He returned to his human form, using disinfectant to dab at a gash on his arm.

About a six-month jump, and Danny stood in his ghost form in a large canyon, looking about him with a frown on his face. He drifted a bit above the ground, before letting loose attack after attack on the canyon walls. Sam realized he was training himself, testing his limits. It was now his blasts were no longer green, but red.

A few months jumped again, and it showed Danny, his ghost self still, sitting crossed-legged on a rock, looking -in a bored manor- at the ghosts before him. Sam recognized Skulker, with not as many upgrades as she had seen, Technus 2.0 and Ember. All three looked livid, but Danny simply rested his chin on one palm. Words were being exchanged, but there was no sound for Sam. Danny suddenly stood, and the three ghosts all took a step back. Taking a deep breath, Danny clamped his shut and let loose a wail that was mixed green and red. Everything went blank.

In finally showed exactly two years after Danny disappeared –now with his new look- and he was floating high in the air, looking out at the town of Amity. A smile crawled across his face as his eyes turned blood-red.

The screen was now a swirling mass, and Sam backed away, biting her lip. So that's what Danny's past two year were. Nothing but brutal training and fighting. Turning around with a new determination shining in her eyes, Sam glared about her surroundings. Finally she took a deep breath, calling out.

"I know you're here, Clockwork! I know I've met you before, though it's fuzzy! Danny did say something about you once though! Come out! I have to talk to you- need to talk to you!" After saying this, her fingers tightened their grip on the picture she had cradled in her arms.

"Hello, child." Sam whipped around, her braid swishing, to find Clockwork. The purple-robed ghost stared back at her, turning from a wizened ghost to a tiny child-like one, then a young adult. "I was wondering when you would get here." Sam straightened up, looking the powerful ghost in the eye.

"I need your help."

"With the problem at hand, I take it?" He drifted to the mirror she had been looking at, and the image changed to show Danny sitting on the roof of Vlad's mansion. Sam recognized this as present day. Danny was looking cruelly smug, one hand holding something. He stood up, opening his left hand to let a red-and-white cape be blown away from him by the wind. Her eyes widened as she turned to Clockwork.

"H-he didn't."

"He did." Sam gulped.

Sam felt herself shaking slightly as silence fell, and she held a staring moment with Clockwork, the ghost shifting between age-forms as he calmly waited for her to speak, one hand lightly holding his staff. Sam opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't form the words, and closed her mouth again. Clockwork reached one hand out, lightly tapping the frame of the photo in her arms. Snapping out of her unmoving state, she held it out for him to take.

Looking at the picture of Sam, Danny and Tucker not long after they had turned fifteen, Clockwork raised one eyebrow slightly before handing it back to Sam. He waved one hand towards the mirror, which now portrayed that day in a still-frame much like Sam's picture. He looked at her, brow still raised in a questioning manor, but a calm smile was showing.

"This is what your visit is about, isn't it?" Clockwork asked gently. Sam nodded, unable to speak. "I am sure I know what you mean, but I need to hear you say it, child." Sam finally found her voice.

"I want you to send me back, so I can stop this from happening."

"You do realize the risks of such things." Sam nodded, but stayed where she was.

"All I want to change, is one line." Clockwork regarded the eighteen-year old a moment, before smiling again.

"Just one line?" Like before, Sam nodded.

"Just one line."

Clockwork nodded, clicking his staff. The mirror-portal's surface rippled, as if it was suddenly water. Sam stepped forwards, before stopping suddenly and turning around. She held out the photo to Clockwork. He took it from her with one hand, giving her a questioning look.

"I'll be getting a new one." Sam stated quietly, before turning around and looking at the portal. Taking a deep breath she walked forwards, the surface of the mirror rippling again as she passed through it, before all was still. Clockwork watched as the mirror returned to a swirling green surface. Drifting away from it, he set the photo Sam had handed to him down on a table. He smiled slightly.

"Time truly is, a fickle thing."


	9. A Little Less Sixteen Candles

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

A/N: Aww, t'is the last chapter. (sniffle)

If you want to see the version of this with the music, the link to it is on my userlookup!

Anywho, I hope you enjoy the final chapter! A huge thanks to all of those who reviewed!

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**Chapter Nine: A Little Less Sixteen Candles**

"Ack! JAZZ!" Danny's slightly undignified squeal made Sam blink and look about wildly. Tucker was laughing as Jazz ran off down the sidewalk, a camera clutched in one hand.

"Oh come on Danny, you gotta admit, she's gotten better at sneaking around."

"If only she wouldn't use that talent to take so many pictures!" Danny snorted with a roll of his eyes. Sam was sitting between her two friends, and she looked back and forth between them. Danny was wearing his red-and-white t-shirt, and Tucker was wearing the same ensemble he did when he was fourteen as well. Glancing at herself, Sam saw her clothes were like that too, save for the fact she was wearing her hair in a braid instead, this fact she discovered when she felt her hair.

"You okay Sam?" Glancing at Tucker, Sam smiled and nodded. The three were sitting on the park bend, eating ice cream. It was late afternoon, and it wasn't long after they finished what they were eating Danny commented they better head home.

The three wandered down the street, chatting, laughing. Sam felt happy. She knew she couldn't remember this day exactly, but somehow, what to say just came to her, as if her body was programmed to do this. She knew in some way, this was keeping her promise to Clockwork to change just one line.

Just as one part Sam did remember, the Box Ghost popped up, and Danny turned to his ghost self. It was one of the more comical moments, as Danny grabbed the back of the Box Ghost's shirt, dragging him into an alley. There was the brief sounds of the Box Ghost's 'bewares' and Danny saying he 'was getting sick of that' before the flash of the thermos. Danny emerged, clipping the thermos back on his belt while turning back to normal.

Laughing again as they continued onwards, Sam savored the moment. She was, at the same time, replaying what she remembered of this day, deciding exactly what line she was going to change. Tucker bid them good-bye, heading off for his house, leaving Sam and Danny alone. The two walked slower now. Sam remembered this was after Danny had given her a chaste' kiss after they had gone out for a walk. She grinned, lifting one hand to her cheek.

"Sam?" Glancing over at Danny, she saw his questioning look._  
_

"Just day dreaming." She replied with a small smile._  
_

Their steps slowed, then stopped entirely outside of Sam's home. The two stood there a moment, as if enjoying the silence. Sam was replaying this moment in her mind. Danny had started to leave at this point, and she had asked a question in the form of his name. When he had stopped to look back, she had shaken her head, saying 'never mind'. But this time, she had a new line.

Like it had happened before, Danny had given her a small hug, which she returned. As he turned, starting to walk away, Sam took a slight step forwards nervously.

"Danny?" Stopping, he turned halfway around, looking at her.

"Yeah Sam?" Looking back at him a moment, Sam bit her lip. Then she finally spoke.

"Danny, are you, okay?"

**End**


	10. Epilouge: On the Way Down

Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Danny Phantom.

A/N: Enough people (ow!) prodded me (ow!) about what would happen after Sam (ow!) changed that one line. So, in result (ow!) and me being bored (ow!) I'm writing an epilogue. (ow!)

ALRIGHT! NEXT PERSON TO POKE ME GETS A SPORK IN THE EYE!

(glares around at people a moment)

Now that that's settled, here's the epilogue. And a day after that last chapter! _Man_, I'm having a good day! (walks off whistling, twirling a cane that came from nowhere)

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**Epilogue: On the Way Down**

**Almost year after Sam had changed that one line…**

**Danny, Tucker, Sam: Ages: Nearly 16.**

"Danny? Danny!" Danny's Fenton's head jerked up upon hearing Tucker yelling at him. He and Sam were looking at their friend in amusement. Nearly sixteen-year-old Danny straightened up, moving his head fully from where it had been with one chin resting in his hand, staring off into space. He blinked a few times.

"Hmm?"

"I asked if you were day-dreaming about your girlfriend again." Tucker snickered. Danny blinked, then blushed a little.

"Maybe." Tucker laughed, only to have Sam slug him in the arm.

"Come on Danny, let's go outside." Danny let Sam lead him outside, where the two sat under a tree. Sam leaned her head on his shoulder, pushing the sleeve on the left side of his shirt, using one finger to trace the pattern of the jagged scar she could see there. Over the past while, after that day…. Sam sighed, drawing Danny's attention.

"You okay Sam?"

Sam looked from Danny's muscling arm to his face, smiling. She nodded. She remembered after speaking to Danny, asking that one question, he had ended up coming inside with her to talk. And pretty much poured his heart out. About stress that was starting to build up, and making him feel like it was eating away at his insides.

This event led to their talk going later then assumed, and both Sam and Danny had jumped in surprise when Sam's mother wondered if Danny should be getting home for supper. Sam had kissed Danny on the cheek, reminding him she was always there.

Sam giggled a little when Danny kissed the top of her head, before tilting his own head to one side to rest it on hers. Sam saw Dash off to one side, and when he glanced over and glared, and after he did this Sam twisted her head ever so slightly to an angle to see Danny's face. The teen wasn't even looking in the direction of his old bully. However, when she had moved, his attention directed to her. She smiled, snuggling up to him, closing her eyes.

"Sam?"

"Yeah Danny?" Both of them were speaking quietly, as if afraid to break the contentment surrounding them.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being there." Sam smiled, straightening a little as Danny did so they could look each other in the eye. She leaned forwards, kissing him, before pulling back a little.

"Any time, luv, any time."


End file.
